Assessing a shop's integrity

[rob hod]

    So you are saying that one rear window got jammed half open, but they
replaced both rear regulators. Was there a problem with the other window but
it just happened to stop in the closed position?

    I'd say it was extremely unlikely for both motors to go at the same
time, and I believe that they are fairly reliable anyway. The switches
however are a different story, they sometimes become intermittant ( I have
this issue on my CGT at the moment - lack of use seems to exacerbate it )and
get worse from that point on, or sometimes just give up on the spot. There's
lots of traffic on the list about this and Huw has a very good resource on
his site on this.

    I'd guess that the window stuck situation was most likely a switch,
second likely a wiring issue (broken wires in trunking between door and door
pillar?) and least likely the motor going out. If both rear windows failed
at the same time I'd say
very likely a wiring issue and very unlikely to be an individual switch
issue and extremely unlikely the regulators.

    Regarding good shops, well its got to start with recommendations, and
from there on in you have to dip your toes in the water and see how it
feels. Luckily with this list you've got lots of help in that assesment.

    Is your regular mechanic back from holiday yet? Good Luck!

 rob
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Sat, 5 Oct 2002 20:45:31 -0700
> To: Quattro List <quattro at audifans.com>
> From: "Andrew Buc" <abuc at attglobal.net>
> Reply-To: "Andrew Buc" <abuc at attglobal.net>
> Subject: Assessing a shop's integrity
>
> I posted a couple of weeks ago that a garage in Seattle had told me that
my '87
> 4kq w/173k would need a new clutch pressure plate in the near future. This
was
> met w/quite a bit of skepticism, on and off list, some of it vehement,
from
> listers. I'm inclined to go with the listers' opinions on this, but it
makes me
> wonder about something else.
>
> I originally took the car in because the rear side windows had quit
working. My
> regular independent mechanic (who's worked on my various cars for 20 years
and
> is as honest as the day is long) was out of town, one window had jammed
halfway
> open, and it wasn't something I could let go unfixed for any length of
time. If
> both windows had been jammed closed, or close to, I could have waited for
my
> regular mechanic to get back.
>
> Anyway, they replaced the switches in the console and both rear window
> regulators, and they said I should come back in a few days for replacement
of
> the switches in the rear doors, which they had to order. I found that now
the
> windows worked fine using the console switches, and they also worked fine
using
> the rear-door switches, once I'd gone back to get the latter installed.
(I've
> never carried more than 1 passenger at a time in the time I've had the
car, but
> I do want to keep it in good shape on general principles.) It's the
regulators
> I wonder about. I'm no automotive electrician, and I've never studied the
> wiring diagram for the car, but for all I know, maybe an electrical
problem
> could take out both rear windows at once. I'm finding the idea of both
> regulators going out at once a bit harder to swallow. I've heard that you
can
> help keep a shop honest by asking to see the old parts, but I'd heard good
> things about the shop, and I didn't think to do this at the time. Between
the
> window regulators and what they said about the pressure plate, I'm not
sure I
> want to take the car to them again. Your 2 Euro cents? TIA
>
> --__--__--
>